7
People say this when there’s a piece of information they don’t know that’s keeping them from making an inference. In this comic you have to know what a “symptom” is. A symptom is a sign or indicator of something. Calvin is trying to show his mom signs of being sick but tells her so many silly ones that she knows he’s faking it.

8
There’s hidden information in this comic that you have to figure out in order to “get it”.... The teacher sends Calvin to the principal when he takes the gum out of his mouth and offers to share it instead of understanding that his teacher is sarcastically reminding Calvin that he shouldn’t be chewing gum. He tries to blame the teacher for being in the principal’s office and for being in trouble with him.

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When you use your background knowledge, AND think about that hidden information to understand a comic the author has written, you’re making an inference! It’s like an “author and me” question where you use your own thinking and background knowledge combined with the information the author has written.

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Read each comic & explain why it’s funny. To infer, you’ll need to: use your background knowledge “read between the lines” to tell what information isn’t directly there. Sometimes you may not “get it”. If that happens, ask questions and write about what you don’t understand. That’s the missing information that’s keeping you from inferring!

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Making an inference means Knowing what a “screen saver” is and how it functions. What is Calvin trying to tell the teacher?

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Making an inference means knowing why Jon would need his receipt. What would Jon do if he had his receipt?

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Making an inference means knowing what “draw the line” means in this context. What is mom trying to say to Calvin?

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Making an inference means knowing what the word delusional means. What is Garfield trying to say to Jon?

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Making an inference means figuring out whether Jon and Garfield are laughing or crying in the last frame. Assume they are laughing. What are Jon and Garfield trying to say?

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Now every time you read a comic, you can practice the skill of inference by using your background knowledge and reading between the lines! Make Garfield proud!